Founder of French Company Behind Breast Implant Scandal Arrested

Photodisc/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(PARIS) — The founder of a French company allegedly behind a breast implant scandal that has jeopardized the health of tens of thousands of women has been arrested.

According to officials, Jean-Claude Mas, 72, was detained Thursday at a home in southeastern France. His arrest is part of a judicial investigation into his company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

Late last year, French authorities urged 30,000 women in the country to have removed breast implants supplied by PIP, over concerns that they were made with an unauthorized silicone gel making them prone to rupturing.

Since the defects were discovered, hundreds of implants have been removed and a few cases of cancer have been reported in patients with PIP implants.﻿